Leader: Fuss about the weather blows over

IT SAYS a lot for the Scots approach to such matters that the great storm that came at us yesterday was christened Hurricane Bawbag, an appellation even used on Radio Four, no doubt to the bafflement of most listeners south of the Border.

We should not belittle or underestimate the effect of the weather, which led to the Met Office issuing the first red alert for wind in the UK, but we cannot help but feel there has been rather a lot of over-reaction.

Yes, it was very windy for a while, and yes, there was quite a lot of disruption across the country – everything from an exploding wind turbine to bridge closures, power blackouts, school closures and office evacuations.

Scottish ministers scurried to a series of supposed crisis meetings. Councils planned for contingencies. The UK government monitored the situation. Everyone had to be seen to be doing something – anything.

However, now it has calmed down and we take stock, what is the conclusion? It was inconvenient for many, unpleasant for some and perhaps a little scary for a few, but we survived relatively unscathed. After all the meteorological gloom-mongering, and the sonorous warnings from ministers, Scotland managed … well … to weather the storm.